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A circle brushed in a single unbroken stroke.
Also known as: Zen circle, Enso, Brushed circle, Circle of enlightenment
An ensō is a circle drawn with one movement of a loaded brush, and the point is that it cannot be corrected — the brush stroke records the state of the person who made it. Whether the circle is closed or left open is a deliberate choice with different readings.
Denotes a circle drawn in one or two brush strokes in Japanese Zen calligraphy.
Contexts: History
Cannot be retouched: the form records the single movement that made it, which is why the practice values the stroke over the shape.
Contexts: History
Is drawn closed or deliberately left open, the two carrying different readings within the tradition rather than one being a failed version of the other.
Contexts: History
A single circle of varying stroke width brushed in black ink, the line thick where the brush was loaded and thinning to a dry break, sometimes left unclosed.